polar husky

November 25, 2003 9:13 AM

An Educational Exploration of Nunavut. "Setting out to document arctic climate change we will dogsled the territory of Nunavut, meeting Inuit Elders and students, to explore traditional ecological knowledge in the remote communities visited along the trail while gathering scientific data daily from the field for NASA and Environment Canada." - a cool expedition to bring some attention to what many are describing as the greatest threat to mankind today.
posted by specialk420 (8 comments total)

I watched Noonook of the North a month ago, via DVD, and I have to say even in its simplicity, and with its culturally biased title frames, it was moving. Released in black and white in 1922, it's still an excellent little film. I recommend it.
posted by Mo Nickels at 10:12 AM on November 25, 2003

This resembles at least a half dozen very similar such projects, including one by the photographer Gary Brasch.

There has to be some more impactful way of conveying the threat of climate change to the general public........but I don't have a clue what it is.
posted by troutfishing at 10:35 AM on November 25, 2003

Oops - that's Braasch. He's a nature photographer and has a section in his website of pics he took to depict effects of climate change. I won't bother with the URL right now because the bandwidth is maxed out for the moment.
posted by troutfishing at 10:38 AM on November 25, 2003

The classroom participation seems especially interesting. I wonder how many teachers have registered for this? The link to the FAQ on the registration page is broken.

(I looked at everything on the site, but I must confess I spent the most time playing with the dogs!)
posted by taz at 10:43 AM on November 25, 2003

There has to be some more impactful way of conveying the threat of climate change to the general public........but I don't have a clue what it is.

Maybe something more melodramatic, like this.
posted by homunculus at 11:06 AM on November 25, 2003

Best thing about Nunavut is the move to direct democracy ala Switzerland. Wish we had it here in America.
posted by Ryvar at 1:36 PM on November 25, 2003

Worst thing about Nunavut is that the government vetoed the name "Bob."

Many of us Canucks really, really wanted to have a province named "Bob."

To compound their error, the government also didn't allow the other half of the former territory to be named "Alluvit." Damn shame, that.
posted by five fresh fish at 2:16 PM on November 25, 2003

Good post specialk420 - thanks! This will be interesting to follow.

"IQALUIT, Nunavut -- And so it has come to be, the elders say, a time when icebergs are melting, tides have changed, polar bears have thinned and there is no meaning left in a ring around the moon. Scattered clouds blowing in a wind no longer speak to elders and hunters. Daily weather markers are becoming less predictable in the fragile Arctic as its climate changes.

Inuit elders and hunters who depend on the land say they are disturbed by what they are seeing swept in by the changes: deformed fish, caribou with bad livers, baby seals left by their mothers to starve. Just the other year, a robin appeared where no robin had been seen before. There is no word for robin in Inuktitut, the Inuit language." - more -
posted by madamjujujive at 10:41 PM on November 25, 2003